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Henry I (946 – 15 October 1002), called the Great,[a] was Duke of Burgundy from 965 to his death and Count of Nevers through his first marriage. He is sometimes known as Odo-Henry or Otto-Henry (in French Eudes-Henri), since his birth name was "Odo" and he only adopted "Henry" on being elected duke of Burgundy.
| Otto-Henry | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Burgundy | |
| Reign | 965 – 15 October 1002 |
| Predecessor | Otto |
| Successor | Otto-William |
| Born | c. 946 |
| Died | 15 October 1002 |
| Spouse |
|
| Issue | Odo, Viscount of Beaune |
| Father | Hugh the Great |
| Mother | Hedwig of Saxony |
He was a younger son of Hugh the Great, Duke of the Franks, and Hedwig of Saxony and thus the younger brother of King Hugh Capet.[1] As Odo, he entered the church at a young age and was a cleric at the time of the death of his brother Otto, Duke of Burgundy, on 22 February 965.[2] He was elected by the Burgundian counts to succeed his brother and they gave him the name Henry. However Otto-Henry only held three counties of his own, his vassals holding the remaining six that comprised the core of that held by Richard the Justiciar who died in 921.[3]
In 978, Henry participated in the invasion of Lotharingia and the defence of Paris from a counter-raid.[4]
In 972, he married Gerberga, the widow of Adalbert II of Italy,[1] who had sought refuge at Autun. Through Gerberga, he had a stepson named Otto-William.[5] This marriage allowed Henry to rule the County of Nevers.[6]
He married a second time to Gersenda, daughter of William II of Gascony. As Henry had no child, Otto-William became a legitimate contender to inherit the Duchy of Burgundy. So did Henry's nephew, the king Robert II of France. This resulted[7] in a war of succession (from 1003 to 1005) between Otto-William and Robert II. Otto-William eventually gave up the Duchy but kept in the Western Frankish Kingdom, the county of Mâcon, the county of Beaune and the advowson for the abbey of St-Benigne in Dijon.[8]
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Henry died without any sons of his own two wives.[1] He adopted Otto-William making him a possible heir of the Duchy of Burgundy.[9]
Odo-Henry had at least one illegitimate child by an unknown mother:
- Odo of Beaune († after August 25, 1005), viscount of Beaune.
- His nickname, Latin magnus, originally meant "the elder", and distinguished him from Duke Henry II.
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